Nathan Perdue is determined to do anything he can to help raise awareness and funds to find a cure for cystic fibrosis in his 3-year-old son Wyatt’s lifetime.
Last year, the Carmel resident raffled off some of his treasured bourbon collection to raise money for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, with the majority of funds raised used for research. Cystic fibrosis is a genetic disease that causes severe damage to the lungs, digestive system and other organs in the body. It causes lung infections and limits the ability to breathe.
This year Perdue is taking the raffle up a notch.
“Last year we did a five-bottle set of Pappy Van Winkle that was valued at around $18,000 and sold 4,000 tickets at $100 apiece,” he said.
The tickets sold out in two weeks, raising $400,000.
Perdue is again partnering with the Kentucky Derby Museum on the 2022 event.
There are three prizes this year with a combined value of $58,000. The first price is a six-bottle set of Pappy Van Winkle ($24,100). The second prize is a seven-bottle set of EH Taylor ($15,000). The third prize is a five-bottle set of Buffalo Trace antique collection ($14,400).
There will be 6,000 tickets offered at $100 per ticket. The raffle runs through Nov. 17. The live drawing will be at 3 p.m. Nov. 18 on the Kentucky Derby Museum’s Facebook page.
“The funds raised by this raffle and other initiatives help fund research, which is driving remarkable advancements in drug therapies leading to an exponential increase in life expectancy of those living with CF,” Perdue said. “When the raffle took place last year the median survival age for people with CF was 41 years old. Today it’s 53 years old. It has doubled over the last 30 years and increased an average of one year per year for the past 20 years. The groundbreaking new drug, Trikafta, that was approved right before Wyatt’s first birthday has been submitted to the FDA for final approval for 2 to 5 years olds. We expect that he will have access to that drug within a year by the time Wyatt is 4 (Sept. 21, 2023).”
Perdue said the drug can benefit 90 percent of the people that have cystic fibrosis.
“I know some people that are older with CF, and it’s not uncommon for them to be in the hospital three or four times a year for two to three weeks,” Perdue said. “They’ve been on this drug and they haven’t had a hospital stay since. It’s been really remarkable the progress. We’re hoping in the next few years the drug will be approved for those of all ages.”
Perdue said in the 1950s the life expectancy was 4 years old for those with cystic fibrosis, when Perdue was born in 1978, it was 10 years old.
“There are now more adults living with CF than children,” he said.
For more, visit derbymuseum.org/raffle.html.
